Born At Sea
by NaviraDreams
Summary: Ruby Taylor joins the Hammersley Crew on their adventures. They become her second family. Both her brother weren't exactly thrilled with Ruby's decision to join the Navy, but for her, it was her calling. She followed her heart.
1. Welcome Aboard

I took a deep breath. Today would be my first day on a Patrol Boat. I was pretty nervous. And really excited at the same time. This was it. This was what I had been waiting for.

I straightened out my uniform once more before I took my bag and left. I walked at a brisk pace, but when the docks came into my sight, I slowed down. I got even more nervous. There was no turning back now.

I sucked in another deep breath of air, before I made my way to the ship I was assigned to. The HMAS Hammersley. I saluted to the man standing in front of the ship and stated my name. "Good to have you on board, Seaman Taylor. Go ahead, you'll meet the rest of the crew later," the man who had introduced himself as Lieutenant Commander Mike Flynn, the Commanding Officer of Hammersley, said and smiled at me. I returned the smile and entered the ship. "ET," I heard the CO yell to one of the men on deck, "Show Seaman Taylor to her cabin, won't you?" "Aye, sir!" A man with curly reddish-blonde hair saluted to Commander Flynn and grinned at me, "Follow me, Ma'am." And so I did.

"You're the lucky woman on board who got a cabin all to herself since we have an odd number of females," ET told me when we reached my cabin, "Oh, I'm Josh Holiday by the way, but everyone just calls me ET, since I'm the Electronics Technician." "Ruby Taylor," I introduced myself, holding out my hand, "I'm the Weapons Electrical Engineer in-training." "Ah, so then we'll be seeing quite a lot of each other." ET winked at me, laughing. I laughed as well. Then ET left me so I could get settled in.

I didn't know what to expect yet, but I was really looking forward to my time here on Hammersley.

After I was done unpacking I searched my way to the bridge. "Ah, there she is." ET was there and grinned at me again. He introduced me to everyone on the bridge, Nav, Charge, Chefo and the XO. Then he gave me a tour of the whole ship. To finish the tour he led me on the deck. "There is one major thing you need to always remember when boarding the Hammersley," he said and I waited for him to continue, "You have to salute our mascot." ET pointed at a small figure sitting on top of the bridge. "Who is that?" I asked curiously. "Thor, the thunder god," he explained, "If you don't salute him, it will bring bad luck to this ship, and I'm sure you don't want that." I hesitated, but ET seemed somewhat serious, so I saluted to the figure. "Alright, that's the spirit." ET grinned again. Though I wasn't superstitious at all, it seemed like the best to listen to him. I was new and still trying to find my place here on Hammersley after all.

With that the tour ended and I decided to head back to my cabin to get some sleep before it was time for my assigned Guts Watch. I set an alarm just in case and then made myself comfortable. The swaying of Hammersley helped me relax. I had always loved ships, ever since I was a little girl, ever since I was born. I was the first and only one in my family to join the Navy. My parents had started their own diving business in Cairns which my brother Noah had taken over now and my other brother Joshua was studying medicine in Brisbane. I hadn't seen Josh in ages, I really missed him. At least I was with Noah until today. But now it was just me. I didn't really have a problem with being alone, but I would miss both of my brothers out at sea.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock. I couldn't believe I had really slept that long. Well, maybe it was not that much of a surprise considering I barely slept last night because I was so nervous.

I got up and got ready for my watch. When I entered the bridge I saw an unfamiliar face. "You must be Red," the man said and I was confused, "I'm Buffer." "Um, nice to meet you, sir, I'm Ruby Taylor, the new WEE," I replied. "Yea, ET told me." Now I was even more confused. "Why did you call me Red? Sorry, sir." "That's the name you got here," Buffer told me, "And you don't have to call me 'Sir'." "Okay," I sighed. My old nickname stuck here too. It was a pretty obvious nickname considering my name was Ruby and my job was working with weapons… weapons equal blood… blood is red. Not to mention the red shimmer my dark brown got in sunlight.

"So… did I miss anything?" I asked, trying to start a conversation. "We boarded an FFV and we're towing it back to base, ET and Jaffah are still on it," Buffer told me. "Okay."

We fell silent again. But it wasn't an awkward silence. Throughout our watch Buffer and me occasionally held a little small talk, but not much.

I was glad when it was over, because I had gotten really hungry. I quickly went to the galley. It was the middle of the night so there was no one there. I grabbed something to eat and went back to my cabin.

After breakfast I was walking down a hallway. "Red!" I heard someone call and stopped to turn around. Charge was walking up to me. "Yes, sir?" "No need to be so formal." "Okay." Charge took me with him to show me all the equipment onboard and what I needed to be aware of, basically everything I needed to know on this ship, a more detailed version of ET's tour, a lot more detailed. It was a lot for me to take in. Especially when he took me to the engine room as the last part of our tour. Tomorrow I probably wouldn't remember half of what Charge had told me, but I tried to memorize as much as I possibly could in such a short time.

During our tour, Charge also told me that we had picked up a marine biologist from Bright Island. She was suffering from some kind of poisoning, or so it seemed. She needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible.

Just when we finished the tour there was a request for every available pair of eyes to come out on deck and post as a look-out. "What happened?" I asked as Buffer handed me a pair of binoculars. "We can't seem to locate the fishing boat," he explained. I immediately started looking for anything at the horizon.

We looked for what felt like hours, when I noticed something in the sky. "Sir! Flare" Green 90," I exclaimed. We set course to recover ET and Jaffah. There was nothing else I could do now, since I wasn't allowed on the rhib just yet, so I searched for something else to do than just wait. I found Chefo in the kitchen. "Need some help?" I asked. He looked at me and hesitated before answering, "Sure, I'm making some soup, you could give me a hand here." Now I had something to do. It wasn't much but at least something. And it wasn't long before Jaffah and ET came to the galley wrapped in blankets.

"What's this?" Jaffah asked. "Soup," Chefo answered as he gave him a cup. "I hate soup," Jaffah complained. At that Chefo threatened to drop him back where he was found. "Hey, the woman you got off Bright Island, she alright?" ET asked while I handed him a cup, "Thanks." "She didn't make it," Chefo told him. I lowered my eyes. I hadn't had any contact with that woman but I still felt bad that she had to die, and we were just about to bring her to a hospital.

And then Swain came in. He was the medic, so he must have been the one who felt the worst about it. "Hey, we heard about the woman," ET said. "Yea, well, maybe we did something wrong," he replied, "Don't know." It was more than obvious how upset he was. I wished there was something I could do, but there wasn't. I started to follow him, searching for something to say, but I gave up in the end. There really was nothing I could say. And there was an announcement to come to the deck. CO Flynn wanted to talk the crew about what happened and told everyone that there was counseling available. I didn't think that applied to me. I had hardly had anything to do with all of this. But it was great that it was offered.

I just wanted to go home now. I packed my bag and got ready. It wouldn't be much longer until we reached Cairns.

My first time on a Patrol Boat. The crew seemed really great. I was definitely looking forward to working with these guys from now on. There was a lot I still needed to learn and a lot I was sure to yet experience. But I had this feeling that everything would turn out for the better.


	2. What Lies Beneath

„Our mission is to drop off two Federal Agents on Bright Island," ET told me while I followed him to the bridge. That didn't appear too odd to me, but most of the crew did think something seemed off about it, considering a woman had just died of sort of poisoning there.

ET had brought me to the bridge to explain Hammersley's navigational systems. That was until suddenly there was a noise as though we hit something. But the depth here was 15m, as Nav said. And there was nothing on radar. "We need to take a look. Whatever it is, it shouldn't be there," the CO said, "ET, suit up." "Sir," ET replied, "Why don't I take Red with me? She needs some experience. And she's a diver, right?" I nodded. The CO hesitated mustering me for a few seconds, but then gave his okay. "Thank you, sir!" I saluted. I was a little surprised but definitely happy that I was going to dive. I quickly put on my wetsuit and got ready.

ET was already waiting for me. "You don't have to worry about sharks," he said before I even asked, "There's gonna be a gunner to look out for us." I just nodded. "Ready?" I nodded again. I was a little nervous. Not about diving. But about messing something up. ET gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he jumped in the water. I followed.

We dove down and found some sort of buoy underwater. ET found something attached to it and I helped him get it free, before we surfaced again. "We got a sudden high frequency signal," the CO called from the ship, "What have we got there?" "Looks like some sort of transponder unit, Sir," ET answered, "Pretty high quality stuff." It took the CO a few moments to respond again, "Leave it there, come back on board!"

I looked at ET. He motioned for me to follow him. He helped me back on board and then I quickly changed back into my uniform. "What do you think's in there?" I asked ET as we walked to the galley. "Drugs, probably," he replied.

"Red! I heard you went on your first dive just now," Chefo greeted me in the kitchen. "Yea," I nodded. "Catch!" ET threw me a muffin which I barely caught. "So why are we dropping the Feds off at Bright Island?" Chefo asked then. "Got to do with the marine biologist that died," Buffer answered. "So you think she was murdered? Wouldn't surprise me," Charge reckoned, "Bright Island." "I didn't say that," Buffer retorted, "You know, could be anything, chemical reaction…" "Bullocks!" Charge cut him off, "It's a suspicious death." Chefo mocked him. "Maybe she just ate something poisonous?" I threw in but was completely ignored. "You can laugh all you like. The fact the Feds are involved means foul play for sure," Charge said. These guys seemed to really like conspiracy theories. It could just be a poisonous plant or something like that. "It's probably some kind of poison, ey Charge?" Spider replied and Charge nodded agreeing. "Yea, just like in these muffins," Buffer said while taking another one. "Ah, they're good, as good as my mom's Chefo," Spider reckoned. "You're lucky to have any. The skipper stops engine without asking permission of the chef." Chefo was obviously irritated. "The new X ran into something on the high seas," Buffer laughed. "Woman driver," Charge added. I was about to say something when the XO walked in. "Don't let the presence of a woman driver stop you fellas," she said and I had to hold back a laugh, seeing the guys' expressions. Chefo tried to make an excuse, but the XO had heard everything. She quickly left and I decided to follow her. "Ma'am," I called and she briefly turned around. "What is it, Seaman Taylor?" she asked. "About the guys…" I started. "It's fine," she said. "No, it's not," I differed, "You see, Chefo was just a little irritated and you haven't given us much chance to get to know you. I'm sure it wasn't meant as something personal." "Thank you, Seaman, now if that's all…" I understood and went back to the kitchen, leaving her alone. The X kept to herself, . She wasn't letting any of the crew get to know her, even though she did seem like a nice person to me and definitely very capable of her job. Others seemed to differ apparently.

The guys were still in the galley when I got back. I couldn't help but shake my head at them. "What?" Chefo asked. "Why are you giving her such a hard time? She's as new to all of this as I am," I said. "Yea, but," ET started. "No buts," I interrupted, "And she's our superior as well, isn't she?" The guys sighed in defeat. "Great," I grinned.

"Come to speak of new, you're the only newbie who hasn't been seasick yet," Buffer said. "Really?" I asked surprised. "You haven't been seasick?" Spider looked at me with big eyes. "Um, no… And I don't think I ever will be," I said, "I was practically born at sea, actually, I was born on a ship." "Are you serious?" "Yea." They didn't seem to believe me, so I told them the story that my parents had always told me: They were on a fishing trip when my mom's contractions started and when they wanted to get back to port, the engine gave out. So I had to be born on the boat.

After that I went back to the bridge with ET. We were guarding that buoy from before to find out what was in there and who would pick it up, but when the vessel that was nearing it suddenly turned around again, the CO ordered that we'd take the buoy instead. "ET, Red, time to suit up again." "Sir," ET and I replied simultaneously and went to change back into our wetsuits. Then I stepped foot onto one of the rhibs for the first time. Buffer and the XO brought us to the buoy and back in the water we were.

ET and I dove down to the ground to see what the buoy was attached to. But suddenly the lights on the metal boy started flashing. ET hastily signaled to get back up again and so I did. Whatever that box was, the flashing couldn't be a good sign. I swam back to the rhib as fast as I could. And we got out of there as fast as the rhib could carry us. I barely got in before the bomb went off. "You alright?" ET and I were asked when we got back on Hammersley. "I am, but Red was still half in the water when the bomb went off," ET said. "I'm fine," I reckoned. And I felt fine. A little shook up maybe because of the shock. I had never been near a bomb that went off before, other than that I felt fine. But Swain stopped me before I could leave to change. "Tell me your name and how many fingers I am holding up," he said. "Ruby Ann Taylor. And three fingers," I said, "I really feel fine." "Buffer, escort Red to her cabin, just to make sure," the CO ordered and didn't let me protest. So I just started walking with Buffer following me. "Are you sure you're alright? You could have been killed down there," Buffer asked. "I'm just a little spooked, that's it, really." We reached my cabin and Buffer left me, hesitating at first, so I could change.

Just when I finished, someone knocked on my cabin door. "Red?" "Come in," I called and Spider entered, "What is it?" "ET told me to tell you that we're following the vessel that was approaching the buoy, but it's gonna take a while to catch up," Spider said. He was shifting from one foot to the other as if it was awkward for him to be in my cabin. "Okay, thanks Spider," I replied, trying to contain a grin. "Then… I'll go now." Spider quickly left my cabin. I shook my head at him, laughing. It was pretty cute how awkward he was sometimes.

But now that I knew that we were following that vessel and that it would be a while until we caught up to it, I decided to get some sleep. I was on First Watch duty after all and I felt a little exhausted.

But when I got up for my watch I was even more tired than before. I got myself a strong coffee from Chefo and took one for my watch partner as well. I handed Swain the coffee when I got to the bridge. "Thanks," he smiled at me, "How are you feeling?" "Tired," I yawned and took a sip of my coffee. I barely got through the watch. But Swain kept me awake by telling me about his wife and how she was pregnant. He even showed me a picture of an ultrasound. I couldn't really identify the baby there, so I just nodded and smiled as Swain proudly showed me the head, arms, legs everything you could supposedly see. He would make a great father.

I went straight back to sleep after watch was over. But I was awakened when boarding station was called. I got up and made my way to the deck to see what was going on. We had closed in on the vessel as it seemed. Hammersley changed course shortly after the vessel was boarded. I went up to the bridge to find out what was going on. "There is a second buoy," ET explained to me, "And another guy is going to make a pick-up." The CO posted me as lookout on the deck. I took a pair of binoculars and started looking. I was joined by some others.

It took some time until I spotted something. And I wasn't the only one. But it wasn't just debris that we found. There also was a body in the water. I started to get anxious. Were we too late? Or could we still save that guy's life.

I couldn't help but go to the ward to see. Swain noticed me as I entered. "Is he…?" I asked. "No, he's alive." Swain smiled at me, "But could you go get him some water?" I nodded eagerly and quickly got water from the galley. I stayed with Swain and the guy, Julian, until boarding station was called. Swain was on it, but he hesitated. "I'll watch Julian," I promised. Swain smiled thankful and then left.

I waited patiently. Julian was unconscious, stable, so there was nothing I needed to do. It didn't take too long for Swain to get back. When I went to get something to drink for myself and for Swain as well I found the ET, Buffer and Chefo. "Hey Red," ET called me. "We're going to the pub when we get back to shore," Buffer said. "Do you wanna come with?" Chefo asked. "Ah, thanks guys," I smiled, "But I'm gonna spend the evening with Noah, sorry." "Noah?" "Your boyfriend?" "No," I laughed, "Noah's my brother, I told you before." "You did?" ET asked confused. "Yea."

I left the guys again and went back to Swain and Julian. It wasn't long before we reached Cairns.

I said my goodbye's to the guys and then quickly made my way home.

"I'm home!" I called. "Just in time," Noah's grinning face appeared from the kitchen door, "Dinner's almost ready. You can set the table." "Okay." I put my stuff down and set the table. We had a really nice dinner together, Noah was a great cook. He told me about his diving trip today. Noah wasn't really fond of me being in the Navy. He didn't complain about it, but he didn't really want to hear anything about it either. Josh wasn't too happy about it either, he said it was too dangerous for me. But they both accepted that I had chosen this for myself. Knowing what they thought, I definitely wouldn't tell them about the bomb that set off. There really wasn't a lot that I could tell my brother's without strengthening their opinion that the navy was too dangerous for me.


	3. Ghost of Things Past

I didn't really mind storms, but this one made it hard for me to sleep. I wasn't too keen on leaving my cabin either though. Bumping into every wall and every person there was didn't seem like a lot of fun. I just tried to hold a steady pose until the storm calmed down again.

I got a few hours of sleep before I went to get some breakfast. But that was interrupted by a call to boarding stations. "Come on, that includes you." ET pulled me up. I didn't think I would be part of a boarding party since I haven't ever been yet but apparently I was wrong. I quickly suited up. We reached the catamaran, but it seemed deserted. I helped Swain and Spider get the sails in while the others searched the boat. There wasn't a single person on it. "No notes. No logs. Nothing to indicate where the crew disappeared to or how," Swain said. "Well maybe they were swept over during the storm," the XO suggested. "The whole crew?" Swain asked doubtfully. "What about thieves?" "There doesn't appear to be anything missing." "Ma'am, look at this," Spider suddenly called. He was hovering over something. I went over to see what it was. And I regretted it instantly. There was a fair amount of blood, enough to give me a bad feeling. Especially when I heard that it was possible that the owner of the catamaran, Rory Kinsella, might have committed suicide. It was the anniversary of his son's death.

"ET, Spider, Red, you guys take the catamaran back to port," the XO said. "Aye, ma'am," ET replied. Swain handed me the ration packs and I put them somewhere they wouldn't bother anyone. "Alright guys, let's get this baby cranking," ET called when Swain and the XO had left. Spider didn't react to it so walked over to him. He seemed to have found something, or rather not found something. "ET, there's a life jacket missing," Spider said, "If he was trying to drown himself, why would Mr. Kinsella put on a life jacket?" "Red, tell the CO," ET ordered me. "Yes, sir," I replied automatically and ET laughed. I took my radio and called the Hammersley, telling them that one of the life jackets was missing. "Good work," the CO said. I couldn't contain a smile. I was starting to get the hang of things, slowly, but surely.

We were to continue back to port while the Hammersley searched for the owner of the catamaran. I helped ET set it up so we could get back to Cairns.  
>"Alright, let's take a look inside," ET exclaimed when we were done. "Should we?" Spider and I asked at the same time. "You wanna spend the next two days on deck?" ET looked at us with raised eyebrows, "I'm hungry." "I got the ration packs here," I said. "Oh, I think we can do better than that."<p>

We got distracted by a coast watch plane. "Do you reckon they'll find him?" Spider asked. "Do fish breathe air?" ET retorted and went inside. "Do they?" Spider seemed to genuinely think about that. I just looked at him for a second before I shook my head laughing and followed ET. "Come on, Spide," ET called to Spider who was still on deck.

"Curdled." ET threw the milk carton away. "Whoa, isn't curdled milk on a ship supposed to mean bad luck?" Spider asked. He seemed to be pretty superstitious, or just very gullible. "You can pretty much ignore everything Chefo says," ET told Spider. So gullible. Chefo always told some bogus stories. Most of the time, at least I thought that, it was pretty obvious that those stories were just made up. But Spider seemed to be naïve enough to believe them. I looked around the catamaran' kitchen some more while ET and Spider talked. I noticed a black cup. "Coolest Dad ever," I read out loud. ET looked at the cup in my hands. "This boat is probably what… five-six years old?" ET said questioningly, "I reckon he bought it when his son was born." "Kinsella's killed himself, hasn't he?" Spider concluded. ET didn't answer, so I did. "No, he hasn't," I stated firmly. I didn't want to believe that he would kill himself. He still had a wife to care for. I didn't know Rory Kinsella, but I doubted he would put his wife through the pain of losing a loved one again on purpose.

ET quickly changed the subject and we ate some of the ration Chefo had made for us.

After quite a while we had radio contact. Hammersley had found Kinsella. He was alive. I heaved a big sigh of relief. "Looks like you were right, Red," ET said. "Yea, fish do breathe air." "And sometimes pigs fly." I just smiled, glad that I had been right and Kinsella hadn't committed suicide. ET walked down to the fridge. "Well, young sailors, you no longer need to worry about exploiting a dead man's possessions," he said, "Now we can exploit a life man's possessions." "ET, are you sure we are allowed?" I asked hesitantly. "Guys, until a few minutes ago, Rory Kinsella was never going to see this beer again. Or anything else for that matter," ET exclaimed, "So I think it's only appropriate that we celebrate his health with a bottle of imported." "I'm not gonna be a part of this," I said and went back on deck. ET followed shortly after with three beer bottles in hand. "Are you sure you don't want one?" he asked me and I shook my head. "No, I'm not much of a drinker anyways," I replied. "Really?" "Yea." Then Spider came out as well. "I found some biscuits!" he triumphed. I hesitated for a second but took one.

We spent the next few hours on deck just chatting and eating biscuits until the whole pack was gone. Spider went back inside to get some more, but he took quite a long time. "What's taking him so long?" ET looked questioningly at me but I just shrugged, "Come on Spider! How long does it take to find some more biscuits?" he called inside. A few seconds later Spider appeared without biscuits, but with a black briefcase instead. "He's not gonna keep them in there, is he?" ET asked laughing and I had to laugh as well, but when Spider opened the briefcase we both sobered up immediately. There was a whole lot of cash in that briefcase. "How much is that?" I asked flabbergasted. "Let's count it."

In the end it was just a lot, over 25 thousand Dollars. "So… what do we do now?" ET asked. "What do you mean?" Spider retorted. Wasn't it pretty obvious what we had to do? "Well, the X hasn't mentioned anything about this money… which means, Kinsella hasn't mentioned the money… which means, this is dodgy money… which means, it doesn't exist" Was ET saying what I thought he was saying? "Which means, no one's gonna know if it just… disappears," he confirmed my guess, "Now, young sailors like you two could do a lot with this sorta money." I stared at him disbelievingly. But when I looked at Spider he seemed hesitant. "I don't remember reading anything about this before…In the Navy values…" he hesitated, "Shouldn't we just give it back?" "Yes, we should," I said, looking at Spider insistently. ET knocked on the table grinning. "Well done, you two. That's exactly what we're gonna do. We're gonna give it back." I heaved another sigh of relief. He hadn't been serious about keeping the money. "So Spider, why don't you get on the radio and tell Hammersley what we've found?" So Spider went to the radio while ET and I put the money back in the briefcase and then went back outside again. "Did you really not think about keeping the money?" ET asked me. "No," I replied, "Did you?" "Not really, I'm familiar with the regulations regarding stuff like this." "Good." I smiled.

We spent the next few hours on the deck again. ET managed to talk me into drinking with him. But drinking and being in the sun made me very tired. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep right there on the deck.

When I woke up again, ET didn't seem to be in a good mood. "Is something wrong?" I asked him. "Spider flushed our careers down the toilet," he simply replied. "What? How? Why?" "Remember that bloodstain?" I nodded, "Rory Kinsella's best mate killed him, and that was needed as evidence, and Spider cleaned it up." "Spider did what?" I couldn't help but sigh. That sounded like something Spider would do. I looked over to him. Spider was putting the fenders out. "What's this?" he suddenly asked and help up some sort of rope. ET went over to help him, so did I when it seemed like the rope was stuck. We pulled the rope up. "AH!" I shrieked and stumbled back when a foot suddenly surfaced. I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground. "That's Kinsella, isn't it?" Spider concluded. I didn't even want to hear it. I turned away when they pulled him up. "Spider, go radio it in," I heard ET say and I could see Spider vanish inside from the corner of my eye.

"Are you alright?" ET put a hand on my shoulder. The thought that he had just… touched a dead body with it, made me shudder. "I don't know," I replied truthful, "I've never seen a dead body before." "It's okay." I didn't know the man, but I couldn't stop shaking. ET put both his hands on my shoulders, trying to soothe me a little. And it helped somewhat.

But I was still very glad when we finally got to port and I could finally get off that boat.

ET sent me home while he and Spider handed over the body to the Feds. Noah wasn't home yet so I just went straight to sleep, hoping I wouldn't dream of any dead bodies.


	4. Irukandji

One great thing about the Navy was the visits of all those beautiful beaches. CO Flynn decided that we could have a mini-vacation and play some touch. It was a lot of fun. The crew was so great. It really felt like we were like a big family.

"Hey Chefo, you dropped this," I heard Jaffah say after Swain had called half time, "It's a ring." I looked at the little box Jaffah was holding. There really was a small, beautiful ring in it. "Are you getting married, Chefo?" Nav asked him. "Yea, maybe," Chefo replied, "She hasn't exactly said yes yet. I'm planning on asking her when we get back tonight." "Alright!" the guys exclaimed and tackled Chefo. I smiled.

While it was still half time I decided to take a walk alongside the beach. The sea air was really great.

"Red!" someone suddenly called. I turned around to see Spider running towards me. "We got a mayday call, we need to get back," he called. I nodded and ran back to the rhib with him. Back on Hammersley I quickly changed into my uniform and went to the bridge. We were following a radar contact. I observed the radar. There was not much else I could do but wait as the boarding party made their way to the fishing boat. They brought back a family. "Red, go help with the family," the CO instructed me so I went on deck to Swain and Buffer who were talking with the family. The older woman had a bad burn on her arm.

But suddenly I heard screams. I jumped up to see Chefo winding on the floor. "Chefo!" I exclaimed. I was paralyzed as Swain and the others ran over to him. They wanted to bring him down to the ward when Jaffah suddenly collapsed as well. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I couldn't move. I wanted to do something. I wanted to help Chefo and Jaffah, but I just couldn't. What was going on here? "Red, stay with the family!" the CO ordered as he and Spider brought Jaffah under deck. I could only watch, paralyzed. When they were out of sight I sunk to my knees. Just what was going on? What happened? Why were both Chefo and Jaffah in so much pain? I wanted to do something, anything. But there was nothing I could do. I took a deep breath and got back on my feet again. I walked over to the family, trying to muster up a smile. Luckily Buffer came back on deck and told me he would take over because there was no way I could contain my worry.

I took another deep breath before I went down to find out what was going on with Chefo and Jaffah. "They got stung by a jellyfish?" I asked Spider, who was at Jaffah's side. "Yea, the XO said it can be deadly." I didn't believe it. Chefo and Jaffah couldn't die. They just couldn't. "They'll be okay," Spider said, trying to reassure me, but it was obvious that he himself wasn't a hundred percent sure of that. I tried to make myself smile before I left. I couldn't bear seeing Jaffah like that. And I wouldn't go see Chefo. I didn't think I could handle it. So instead I went back to the bridge. At least there I could focus on the radar or something. There was nothing to do really, but focusing on the dot was better than nothing. ET was the only on the bridge. Nav and the CO were looking after Chefo and Jaffah and the XO was getting a brew.

"You okay?" ET asked me. "As long as I'm not reminded, yea," I answered, "You?" "There's nothing I could do even if I wanted to." We fell silent, each hanging after their own thoughts. The XO and another crew member came back shortly after. "You two can go take a break," the XO said. I wanted to protest but the look she gave me, made me change my mind. So I sighed and followed ET to the galley. "Do you take sugar or milk?" he asked, while I jumped on one of the counters. "Milk, thanks." Looking around the galley I thought of Chefo.

"He'll be alright." I looked at ET. He stood next to me and put a hand on my knee. "How can you be so sure?" I asked. "Chefo's a fighter," ET answered and smiled, "Besides, he still has a proposal to make, doesn't he?" Now I thought of Chefo's almost-fiancé. If he didn't make it… She might never know that he wanted to marry her.

"Red?" I looked up at ET again. This time he was standing right in front of me. "Hey, you have to believe." "I can't," I sobbed. "Hey, come on, what if Chefo saw you like this?" ET wiped my tears away and I actually had to laugh a little. He would probably make fun of me for being so overly worried. "That's the spirit!" ET smiled at me, "Now, let's make that brew." "Okay," I nodded.

Then I at least had something to do. I was grateful that ET could distract me like that. He was a really great friend.

But then Buffer suddenly came into the galley. "Have you seen the little refugee girl?" he asked hastily. "No. Why?" ET replied. "Do you want some help searching?" I offered. "It's okay. But tell me, if you see her," Buffer said, before he left again. ET and I looked at each other. Somehow today seemed to be a day of bad luck.

We poured us each a cup of steaming coffee and then went back to the bridge. The missing girl hadn't been found yet, but Buffer had found her shoe, so the most probable thing was, that she had gone overboard. "We're turning around," the CO said, "Nav, reverse our course." "Sir, Chefo needs proper medical attention. He needs to get to a hospital now," Swain appealed. "I know that, Swain, but we have a duty to this girl," the CO replied. "With all due respect, Sir, what about our duty to chef Toby Jones? What do we tell his family if he doesn't make it?" Swain objected. "Let me know if there's any change in his condition," was all the CO had to say, "Dismissed."

Even if he was the CO, I couldn't agree with him on this. The chances of finding that little girl, that could have already drowned, were so slim, while we still had the chance to save Chefo and Jaffah… I was on Swain's side on this. "Excuse me," I said and left the bridge to follow Swain to the ward. "Is there anything I can do?" "Red? Oh, could you get some water for Chefo?" Swain requested. "Sure, do you want anything? Coffee?" "A coffee would be great, thanks." I nodded and then went to the galley. Someone had started making dinner as it seemed. I got a coffee for Swain and a bottle of water for Chefo. I hurried on my way back to the ward when I suddenly heard Spider's voice. "Swain! Swain!" he yelled. I had a really bad feeling. Swain rushed past me and I followed.

I stumbled back. No. It couldn't be. Jaffah… "He's gone," I heard Swain say. "No…" Spider took a few steps back. "Spider, go get some fresh air," Swain said, "Red, bring that water to Chefo." It took me a few seconds to react. I scrambled to my feet and hurried to the ward, just to get out of there. I put the water on a table in the ward and left again. I couldn't stay there, with Chefo. What if… What if Chefo as well… I needed to get away from there. I curled up on my bed and tried to block out any thoughts, any sounds, just everything. But I couldn't. There was no way I could. Not after what had just happened. My mind raced. All I could think was that I wanted Chefo to survive. He had to fight. He couldn't… He just couldn't die. He had to get better! He just had to!

I jumped when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. "Relax, it's just me," I heard a familiar voice laugh. I looked up at ET. "They found the little girl," he told me, "And…" "And what?" I asked anxiously. "Chefo is doing better. Swain says he'll be alright." "Really?" "Yes." I couldn't help but throw my arms around ET. "That's great!" I exclaimed and let go of him again, "I gotta go see him." "Slow down there, little Red, you won't do Chefo any good if you break your legs on the way over," ET laughed as I stumbled out of my bed. "I don't care," was all I said. I just needed to see for myself that Chefo was alright. I ran to the ward as fast as I could without breaking my legs. When I got there, I found a smiling Swain and Charge with Chefo. He was awake. And he seemed better. "Have you been crying?" Chefo asked me. "No!" I denied and smiled, holding back tears of joy and relief, "Mate, you don't know how glad I am that you're okay." "Probably not as glad as I am," Chefo joked and I laughed. He really was doing better. I heaved a sigh of relief. "Because of you I'm gonna need counseling again," I playfully complained.

But I was really glad that Chefo was alright. At least one good thing today. Today was one of those days where I didn't know whether they were good or really bad. I mean, Jaffah died, but Chefo survived. Jaffah died. I couldn't really wrap my head around that. All I could do now was focus on Chefo and how great it was that he was doing better. That's all that should matter right now.


	5. Under The Radar

"What's going on?" I asked yawning as I entered the bridge. "We're following a boat of shark fin hunters," ET told me, "We're taking them out at first light." "And I'm part of the boarding party?" "Yes," the CO confirmed. So that's why I was woken up after I had just gone to bed. "Go get ready." "Yes, Sir." I followed ET while the XO called boarding station.

When I jumped on board, I had to refrain myself from vomiting. How could someone do something so cruel to all those sharks? These people just cut off their fins and threw the still living sharks back in the water. I felt anger well up in me. That must be such a painful way for those sharks to die. And it looked like there had been a lot on this boat. "Red, help Buffer assess the boat for towing," the XO ordered me. I quickly followed Buffer, avoiding looking at all those bloody fins. "You alright?" Buffer asked me. "No, not really," I answered honestly, "I just don't get how people can be so cruel, I don't get it at all." "They just have a different kind of morale, but that's why we're here, to stop them," Buffer said. I just sighed. I stayed behind for a moment while Buffer told the XO that we finished. I didn't want to go back there to see those fins.

"Red, go to the wheelhouse, take a look at their papers," I heard the XO call. "Yes, ma'am," I quickly replied and made my way to the wheelhouse. An old and obviously frightened old man gave me a few pages of paper. I looked through them and then told the XO my result. I took in the image of the whole crew. They all seemed somewhat scared, but there was no way I could feel any kind of sympathy for them. Not when I knew what they had been up to.

"Come on Red, we're going back," ET pulled me away from my thoughts of how those men would feel if their arms and legs were cut off and they had to try and survive in the ocean.

I was glad to be back on Hammersley away from all those fins. "You wanna grab a brew?" ET asked me. "No, thanks, I'm gonna go to sleep," I declined yawning, feeling the exhaustion catch up with me, "See ya later." I went back to my cabin to resume my interrupted sleep.

I felt a better once I woke up. And we should almost be back in port, considering we couldn't follow the mothership. But it didn't look like we were anywhere near Cairns. "Where are we?" I asked Chefo as I made myself a coffee. "We just left Bright Island," the chef answered. "Bright Island? Why were we there?" I was confused. "To pick up a passenger." I sighed. Great. And I had looked forward to spending some time with Noah and Josh. Josh had come for a visit this week. He was leaving again tomorrow. But I guess I wouldn't see much of him now. "What? Did you make plans with your boyfriend?" Chefo asked me. "Red has a boyfriend?" Spider suddenly stuck his head in the galley. "She does?" Buffer appeared behind him, followed by ET. "Would it be so surprising if I did?" I asked feeling a little offended. "No!" "Not at all!" the guys quickly said. "Well, I don't," I sighed, "I just would have liked to spend some time with Josh and Noah today." "You and your brothers are pretty close, huh?" Buffer noted. "Yea," I smiled, "Well, Josh only came here for the week, he's leaving tomorrow. I barely get to see him anymore." "Aw, poor Red," Spider cooed. I shot him a look. "Come on Spider, Red's a girl," ET said. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Nothing," he quickly said, but I continued looking at him, "Girls are… more emotionally attached, you know?" "Uh huh." The others laughed while ET tried to find the right words, or at least that's what it seemed like. I sighed. "Doesn't matter. I'm gonna go get some fresh air." I took my coffee and searched for a nice spot to enjoy some fresh night air. I sat down and closed my eyes, sipping my coffee.

"Red? You here?" I heard someone call sometime later. "Here," I replied. ET appeared in my field of vision. He crouched down in front of me. I just looked at him. "I'm sorry if I offended you earlier," ET said. "Don't worry about it," I dismissed it with a wave of my hand, "I was just looking forward to spending some time with Josh, you know?" "How could I not know, I'm a Josh after all." It took me a moment to get that. I chuckled slightly. "True," I said, "But you're nothing like Josh. Or at least you two are pretty different." "How so?" ET asked, seeming genuinely interested. "Well, you're this cheerful, always joking and outgoing guy while Josh is quite the opposite. Josh has always been the more introverted one. He can be so much fun, despite being pretty serious most of the time though. But he cares a lot. I guess that's why he wants to become a doctor… Josh may be quiet, but he's always been there for others when they needed him. Ever since we were kids."

I thought back to when I was still a child, Josh had always been there to help me out, whether I had just forgotten my lunch money, or some other kid had played a prank on me, Josh always helped me. Of course I could rely on Noah as well, but it was different. Noah was the one you talked to when something had gone really wrong. That was probably because he was older, and he turned to be more like a father-figure, while Josh was more like my best friend.

"You three really are close, aren't you?" I had almost forgotten that I was talking with ET. "Yes," I replied, "If I ever lose one of them… I don't think I could handle that." "You won't," ET stated. I had to smile at how confidently he said that. "I hope so," I replied and stretched, "Well, I think I'm gonna get some more rest before we get back to port." "Alright."

I got up and went to my cabin, hoping we would reach port soon.

I couldn't wait to see Josh and Noah. I quickly packed my bag and rushed to get off the ship. "Red, wait," the CO stopped me before I could leave Hammersley, "Your shore leave is cancelled." "What? Why?" I exclaimed, "Sir," I quickly added. "Charge needs your help, we are having engine troubles," the CO said. "But…" The way the CO looked at me made me fall silent again. "Charge is waiting in the engine room." "Alright," I sighed, "May I just make a phone call first, Sir?" "Go ahead. But make it quick." I quickly got out my cell while I brought my bag back to my cabin and called Noah. "What's up, sis? You here yet?" he answered his phone cheerfully. "I'm in port, yea," I said, "But my shore leave was cancelled, I need to stay on board…" "What?" Noah seemed as unhappy as I was. "Yea, but I'd really like to see Josh, so… Could you guys maybe come here?" I requested and heard Noah sigh, "I need some fresh clothes anyways, so please?" "Alright," Noah caved, "I'll talk to Josh." "Thanks," I grinned, "Call me when you get here."

A little more enthusiastic I made my way to the engine room, where Charge was already waiting for me with a task. If I got everything I was needed here for done quickly, maybe I could still have at least a little free time to spend with my brothers.

"Charge, I'm done, is there anything else you need me for?" I asked when I finally finished. "No, I'll do the rest myself," Charge replied, "I think we'll be able to leave port in about two hours." "Alright." I smiled, before I hurried to the CO's cabin. On the way there, my phone started buzzing. "Hey, I'm done with my tasks, I'll just ask permission to go ashore. I'll call you back in five," I quickly said, before I knocked on the CO's door. "Sir?" I said as I opened the door, "I would like to request permission to go ashore now. Charge says I am not needed anymore and I promise I will be back in less than two hours." "Why is this shore leave so important to you?" the CO asked curiously. "Sir, my brother, whom I rarely get to see, is in town right now and I would like to spend some time with him, before he leaves," I explained. "Alright, go ahead, but make sure you come back in time, Red." "Sir," I saluted, "Thank you." I hurried off the ship and called Noah again to meet me at the exit of the port.

"Josh!" I jumped my brother, almost sending him and me tumbling to the ground. "I'm happy to see you too, Rubes," Josh laughed and I grinned. "Have you grown? I swear, you're taller than you were when I last saw you." Josh and Noah both laughed. "You're still as energetic as ever, I see." Josh put me down and we started walking towards this little restaurant. "You must be hungry," Noah concluded and just then my stomach growled. "I guess so," I laughed. We got a table in that little restaurant and ordered. "I only got about two hours, before I need to get back," I told my brothers while we waited for our food. "Better than nothing, right?" Noah tried to be the optimist. "Yea," I agreed, "So Josh, tell me, what have you been up to? How's med school? Have you met a girl you like?" "Rubes, one question at a time," Josh said, "I've been doing pretty well. There's nothing really exciting to tell. Med school is… med school. Sometimes it's pretty hard, but I manage. And no, there's no girl." "Ah! There is!" I exclaimed, drawing some attention to our table, so I quieted down again, "What's her name? What's she like? What does she do?" "There is no girl!" Josh denied. "Come on Josh, you know I know you better than you know yourself. Spill!" I ordered and Josh sighed. He couldn't deceive me. "Well… there is this one girl… Her name is Rhihannon. She's really nice and beautiful and cute. She has that smile, you know?" I couldn't help but smile at how adorable Josh was, talking about that girl. "I knew it!" I grinned. I had this sixth sense when it came to people liking someone. I could always tell when one of my friends started falling for someone, sometimes I even knew before they realized it themselves. It was kinda creepy sometimes, but it was my hidden talent.

The time flew by way too quickly. It felt like I had only seen Josh for a minute when I already had to say goodbye again. "I'm gonna miss you soooooooooooo much," I said as I hugged Josh. "Can't breathe," he choked out and I let go again, "I'll miss you too, Rubes." Josh smiled at me. I hugged Noah as well. "I'll miss you as well," I said. "You too, sis." I waved while I entered the port, until I couldn't see my brothers anymore. Sighing I walked to the Hammersley. "Seaman Taylor, reporting for duty," I saluted.

I brought the bag of fresh clothes which Noah had given me to my cabin. We left port shortly after that and I was called as a lookout. The CO, the XO and Nav joined me when the mothership came in sight. We quickly set course for them.  
>"Sir, there's a rhib approaching the vessel at high speed," the XO said and I quickly took a look. She was right, there was a small rhib with two people onboard closing in on the mothership. "Where the hell did they come from?" the CO asked rhetorically. "Saviors of the sea," I read a sign that was on the rhib. "They're eco-militants responsible for sinking a Japanese whaling ship last year," the XO explained, "They're throwing something over the side." "It's a hoser, designed to fail the propeller," the CO said, "They're trying to disable the mothership." Suddenly there were gun shots to be heard. I quickly raised my binoculars to my eyes again. The people on the mothership were firing at the militants. And suddenly one of them fell into the water. "A militant's been hit!" I exclaimed. And just a few seconds later the other one fell as well. "There are two in the water now boss," Nav said. "The mothership's taking off," the XO added, "Sir, we have to rescue the militants." "I know. And by the time we do the mothership will be back across the line and out of our waters," the CO sighed, "Red, go with the rescue party." "Sir." I quickly hurried to suit up and joined Swain and ET on the rhib. The first guy we pulled out of the water had a gunshot wound on the shoulder. "Red, I need you to keep pressure on that wound," Swain said to me, after he had tied a string of cloth around it. I nodded and applied pressure. The second militant seemed to be fine.<p>

Back on Hammersley I accompanied the first militant to the ward with Chefo. I helped Chefo as much as I could, but I probably wasn't that big of a help considering I didn't have that much medical training. But Swain came shortly after so I only stayed to watch over that guy. Chefo and Swain left me to make sure that the militant stayed put while they went to watch over the boarding of the mothership. I knew I probably shouldn't, but I kind of felt bad for that guy. He was trying to do the right thing and got shot for it. And he would probably have to go to court.

Well, he was sleeping at the moment so he probably wasn't worried about anything.

"Having fun here, Red?" I turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. I had to contain a laugh. "Now, yes. What are you dressed as?" I asked, still laughing. "A shark fisher. I didn't volunteer," ET defended himself, "But doesn't it suit me?" ET did a turn and I only had to laugh harder. "Very," I laughed, "It's… authentic." "Good. We're setting a trap for those eco-militants," he told me, "I better get going." "Good luck," I said, "And be careful." "Always, ma'am." ET saluted mockingly and then left.

I wasn't all that worried. The guys were in the Navy for a reason. They could handle themselves. And to distract myself I started reading a book that was lying around here. It was medical book and I didn't understand most of what I read but at least I had something to do until we reached port.

I would have liked to spend more time with Josh. I had only seen him for a little over an hour and he had already left for Brisbane again. I really missed my brother.

"Hey Red, are gonna come have a drink with us?" Buffer asked me, when we were leaving the ship. "I don't know," I hesitated. "Oh come on, you never spend any time with us other than on Hammersley," Spider complained. "Spider's right. Come on, and Charge is paying, so…," ET agreed. "Alright," I sighed, but then laughed, "So where are we going?" "Yes!"

So I spent the evening with the rest of the crew. It was a pretty fun night in the end. I got to see a few sides of others that I hadn't seen on Hammersley before.


	6. Precious Cargo

I really didn't mind storms. I had to say I quite liked storms sometimes, but I felt bad for all those fish that had found their death being stuck on the deck of Hammersley. And now we had to throw them all back in the water. "Red, come on, help out a little," Buffer called as he picked up a fish. ET took it from him. "Oh Buffer, you kiss me," he said in a high pitched voice, holding the fish close to Buffer's face. "Unlike some of us, ET, I've got standards," was Buffers come back and I had to laugh. "That's funny to you?" ET asked me and I just nodded. It was a well-known fact that ET was a player. Even he couldn't deny that.

"Alright you lot, I want these uppers clear for a fresh water wash down. Spider you're in charge," Buffer called before he left us to do the rest of the work. I liked fish and I really didn't mind touching them, but if there were hundreds waiting to be picked up, that was a little different. I listened to the guys talking about the storm while collecting every fish I could find.

"Hey!" I suddenly heard RO yell, "There's something big floating in the water right ahead, 200 yards." I tried to see what he was talking about. Indeed, there was something big floating in the water, but I couldn't tell what it was from the distance. Chefo called it in over the radio.

As we closed on it, I realized that the object was a container. I followed ET and RO to the CO. "Good eyes Ro," he said, "Should that be ship's lookout?" "Just a lucky spot, Sir," RO replied. "We'll need to record the container's serial number before we decide what to do with it," the CO said, "Who's up for a recky? It'll mean one of you in the drink." The guys both didn't seem like they wanted to do it. "I'll do it," I offered. "Are you sure you're up for it, Red?" the CO asked me hesitantly. "Sir, I grew up in the water," I responded. "Still, I'd rather have one of the guys go with you." So ET and RO decided who would have the honor of going in the water with me by a game of rock-paper-scissors. RO lost. I quickly went to suit up and then waited for RO at the boarding station. ET took us in on a rhib. "I can't get any closer, in case of sharp edges," ET said, "But… I'll look out for sharks." RO seemed hesitant while I just gave ET a look, before I went in the water. RO followed shortly after. I dove down under the container to see if there was a serial number, but there wasn't. Instead I found an open hatch. I signaled RO that I was going to take a look inside. But there was nothing besides water. I resurfaced, where RO and ET were already waiting. "There's nothing in it but water," I told them. "Then what's keeping it afloat?" ET asked. "An air pocket?" RO replied in an isn't-that-obvious kinda tone. ET reported what I had found over the radio while I swam around the container once more. "Hey guys," RO suddenly called, "You see that? It's some sort of vent." "Aren't containers usually sealed air tight?" I asked confused. "Yea, to keep the moisture out," RO answered. "There's gonna be plenty of moisture inside when the 50 Cal's had it, now come on you guys, we gotta get out of here," ET called. "No, I'm gonna take a look inside myself to see what's keeping it afloat," RO said. "You said it yourself, it's an air pocket." RO just ignored ET and dove back down. ET looked at me. "I'll go after him," I said and dove after RO. He seemed to have found something, He signaled for us to get back to the surface. I wanted to see what he had found. When I realized what it was, I followed RO. "…lse wall, ET. That suggests smugglers," Ro was yelling at ET when I reached the surface. "Or a partition to separate the goods," ET retorted seemingly annoyed, "Now get in the boat, we're going." RO didn't move. "Red?" ET looked at me. I sighed. "RO, it's not that suspicious…" I tried to convince him, but he still seemed hesitant. But when the XO gave us the hurry up, RO had to give up. And suddenly he turned around again. ET and I looked at each other. I sighed and followed RO again. He was pounding and calling to the container. "RO, what are you doing?" I asked getting a little irritated. "Didn't you hear that? I heard someone coughing." And he continued pounding, while ET called for us to get back in the boat. But suddenly I heard something too. I looked at RO and then at ET. "There's someone in there," I called. ET then noticed it too and quickly radioed it in.

A dingy came with bowl cutters to free the people inside this container. There were five Asians inside. We quickly brought them back to Hammersley. "Good work, Red, go get changed and warmed up," the CO said as he helped me back on board. "Thanks, Sir, I'm alright," I replied. "Go." I nodded and left to take a hot shower and get changed. I went to the galley to get myself a nice hot coffee. "How are you doing?" Buffer suddenly appeared. "I'm alright, like I said, I grew up in the water," I replied. "That's good," Buffer said, "But the CO told me to tell you to get some rest. We're on our way back to port, so you can just relax." I sighed. "I guess I should." Maybe it was just my imagination, but sometimes I thought I was being treated like a child on board. Everyone was always looking after me. Sometimes that was nice and sometimes it was quite annoying. I was a big girl after all. I didn't join the Navy for nothing.

We didn't stay in port very long, following a lead to find the ship that had lost the container with the Korean people. According to RO there was another container with people inside. There were two ships that could possibly have lost then container. When we found the first ship, I was called to be part of the boarding party.

The captain of the ship, Richard Gallagher, seemed friendly enough, he was obviously flirting with the XO. He let us search his ship and the containers. I noticed RO seemed a bit on edge. He even made a scene with the XO when he couldn't see to the back of one of the containers. I couldn't watch, so I turned to walk back to the rhib. We left the ship right after that to follow up on coast watch report.

I joined the boarding party, but what we found onboard was something I really didn't want to see. A man had been shot there. And as I gathered, Spider knew him. So when we got back to Hammersley I made him a coffee. "Thanks," Spider took the cup from my hands and I sat down next to him, "I can't believe it, I was only speaking to the guy yesterday." "What happened to his mate, Carl?" Swain asked. "They ransacked the boat and we found Sam's body, you'd think we'd have found Carl's body as well," Buffer said. "Unless this Carl bloke has something to do with it," ET threw in. "That's crap ET, you saw them. They were mates," Spider immediately defended this Carl and I gave ET a look. "How well did you know these guys?" Swain questioned Spider. "Apart from yesterday I'd only met them the once on Bright Island," Spider answered, "They seemed like pretty cool dudes." "Well, look, you know, we don't know what happened on that boat," Buffer reckoned, "They could have taken Carl with them, as a hostage or something." "Can't we keep searching instead of going after that container ship, Buff?" Spider asked. "Fed's jurisdiction now, mate. We got our own job to do," Swain replied apologetically and left along with Buffer and ET. "You alright, Spider?" I asked carefully. "Yea, I'm fine," he sighed. I put a hand on his knee. "If Carl's out there, he will be found. Let's focus on what we can do right now, hm?" I said before I left Spider as well. He probably needed some space

It took us some time but we reached the second ship. They weren't as cooperative as the first one, so we had to snatch board them. The captain didn't seem very pleased, but there was nothing he could do. And everything seemed to be in order at first. But then the XO noticed something, an air vent. The container was quickly emptied and we found the other Koreans.

Today was one of those days where I was really glad and proud to be a part of the Navy. We were able to reunite a family. And I had gone for a dive. I hadn't been diving in what felt like ages. I really needed to go on a diving trip with Noah when I got the chance. Do some sibling-bonding. We hadn't seen much of each other lately. Noah was quite busy right now, with the Diving School and his girlfriend. They were getting pretty serious. Well, Noah was getting older, so maybe it was time he got hitched…


	7. Rescue Me

„What's going on?" I asked Nav, as she seemed to be the only one around. "We rescued a woman," was her answer, "And you know what Navy guys are like…" I got it. I sighed, shaking my head. "They're all the same, aren't they?" I thought out loud and Nav laughed. Male navy sailors were worse than little kids with candy, when they could rescue a woman. I just shook my head and started my watch duty with her. Spider, the CO and the XO joined Nav and me later.

"You doubt her story?" Nav asked the XO as she laughed when the CO reported the woman's, Clair Watts's, story of four pirates in a speed boat attacking her to Navcom. "Why would you get out of maneuverable yacht into a rattly life raft to escape from pirates?" the XO replied and I understood her doubts. "Sounds like the poor thing was in fear of her life," Nav said wryly and I had to hold back a chuckle. But why would that woman make up a story of being attacked by pirates? I was curious to meet her.

I was part of the boarding party that brought Clair Watts back to her yacht when we found it. She seemed pretty energetic. "Nice yacht," the XO complemented and I nodded in agreement. "She's got beautiful lines," Ms. Watts said. "Yea," ET agreed. But it was obvious that he was thinking of other lines than her. 'Men,' I thought, shaking my head.

When we boarded the yacht, I was surprised to see it pretty tidy for a pirate visit. And it didn't look like there was anything valuable missing, in fact it didn't look like anything was missing at all. And Ms. Watts confirmed my assumption. There was indeed nothing missing. Everything was working fine, so we left her on her yacht and went back to Hammersley. I understood the XO's doubts about Clair Watts's story even better now. It just didn't seem right. Why would pirates attack her, chase her off her yacht and then not take anything? Pirates usually took everything they could. But they took nothing from Clair Watts's yacht. Nothing. That was more than strange. But she was back on her yacht now, so I didn't need to concern myself with that any further.

Right the next morning we got another mayday call. When we reached the sight, there were three guys leaving the motor launch that had sent the mayday. And they suddenly started firing on us. I quickly cowered down on the rhib. We got cover fire from Hammersley and took cover behind the launch. When those guys had left, we proceeded to board the launch. I needed a second to breathe. I wasn't used to someone firing a gun at me. And really, I didn't want to be. I was glad they were gone now.

There were three men on board the motor launch. According to them the guys who attacked them had called them over the radio, asking if they could buy some fuel.

At first I thought this might have been the same guys that attacked Clair Watts, but I doubted that now. First of all, Ms. Watts said there were four, but here there were only three guys and second she didn't mention anything about them asking for fuel and nothing was stolen from her yacht either, while these pirates took whatever was easily accessible.

I sighed and then made my way to the galley, after we had gone back to the Hammersley. I joined the guys for some breakfast. All they could talk about were the pirates. They were probably all thinking about that Clair Watts. Well, except Spider. He still seemed concerned with his fishing friends that were killed, Sam and Carl.

These pirates seemed to be pretty active. Just a few hours later we received another distress signal. I went up on deck to join the others on the lookout. The XO was the one who spotted a lone swimmer in the water. I took a look and realized who it was. "It's Clair Watts," I stated. The XO and the CO both looked at me and then exchanged looks. It was pretty clear what we all were thinking.

ET recovered her and Ms. Watts's explanation this time was that they were the same guys as before, but this time they asked for fuel, like with the other three guys. Somehow this seemed really fishy to me. Something was up with that woman. Nav and the XO thought the same, and the CO seemed to as well. The other guys didn't seem to notice anything strange about what she was telling us though. But the way she threw herself at ET… It was like she just signaled to get the attention. I kind of felt bad for Nav who watched the whole thing. I knew she liked ET and I actually thought that ET liked her too, but I guess there was no changing a womanizer.

I decided to head back to the bridge to help locate Ms. Watts's yacht. It didn't take long at all. But this time there actually was something stolen and even broken, so Ms. Watts had to come back to Hammersley with us for lunch, while ET fixed whatever could be fixed. I didn't stay on deck to listen to Ms. Watts's stories, instead I paid a visit to RO, since it was my e-mailing slot right now. I wrote to Josh and asked him about Rhihannon. I didn't write much about what was happening here, considering he wasn't a fan of the Navy, or rather my being in the Navy. But I told him about Ms. Watts and what I thought of her distress signals. After that I went to my cabin to rest up for my watch tonight. There wasn't much else I could tell him. The navy was a big part of my life now, it was pretty much my life. I couldn't talk about it with my family, so what else was I supposed to tell them? It sucked a little, but I had to respect my brother's opinions.

When I got back to the bridge, we were following the trail of an FFV. "Double check your plot," the CO ordered Nav. "Spider you okay?" the XO asked the boy. I looked at him. He was breathing kinda hard, but he said, "Yea, yea, I think I just ate too much of that squid." I watched him another few seconds. "I… I appear to have made a slight error in my calculations by one degree," Nav distracted me. "One degree… Sixty miles," the CO raised his voice. "I don't know how…" Nav stuttered, "We need to come about new course 270." Nav ordered the directions, but Spider didn't react. "Spider, pay attention!" the CO yelled. I looked at Spider. "Spider!" Something was wrong with him, very wrong. "Red, go get one of the guys!" the CO ordered me. I quickly ran into the hall. "ET!" I yelled as I saw him, "Come to the bridge, quick! Spider…" ET ran to the bridge and helped the CO carry Spider to the ward. I stayed behind on the bridge and helped Nav renew our course when the CO radioed that we should head for home port at best speed. That strengthened my fear that it was something serious. Something was really wrong with Spider. My whole body tensed as I set course for home port.

I stayed with Spider and Buffer, who had also gotten sick, while Swain, Chefo, the XO and the CO talked with the doctor in the hospital. It looked like Buffer and Spider were suffering from food poisoning, but without vomiting. It was strange. But all I could think about was hoping that they would get better really quick. Chefo and the CO came back sometime later. Chefo sat down next to me by Spider's bed. "How you doing Spider?" he asked. "Ugh, dodgy… squid," was all he could mumble. Chefo sighed. "It's not your fault, Chefo," I tried to cheer him up. But in vain. Chefo felt responsible for poisoning them, even though he was a great chef and nothing had ever happened before. So why now?

We left port again later that day, without the guys who were still in hospital. They needed rest. We followed up on the lead we had for those FFVs. I was part of the boarding party. There was a difference between approaching a ship in the dark and during daylight. I was more anxious than usual. But at least I didn't have time to worry about the guys.

We were ready to board the first FFV when we suddenly got the order to abort. I wasn't the only one who voiced their lack of comprehension. We were so close. We were right on top of them.

As I was told later, the reason we had to abort was a mayday call from Clair Watts. "You gotta be kidding me!" I exclaimed. This had been a great chance and we had to give that up for her? When the mayday was probably as faked as the other two were? I couldn't believe it. Something was seriously wrong with that woman. Three maydays in less than two days?

And on top of that we would need to go to unsurveyed waters. I was posted as a lookout on deck with pretty much everyone available. We barely made it through without gracing anything, before the XO spotted Ms. Watts's yacht. I didn't even want to be part of the boarding party. And luckily, I didn't have to be. It looked like this time everyone was annoyed by Clair Watts, even the guys, even ET. She had ruined a great opportunity for all of us after all.

"Red, go and see if ET needs help with our guest." The CO seemed pretty tense when he ordered me. He was probably the one who was the maddest about her ruining our chances of getting those FFVs. "Aye, Sir," I saluted and left.

"ET, do you need any-" I cut myself off when I found Clair Watts yelling at ET while he was trying to calm her down. "…morale superiority? You don't! You don't! My dad didn't do anything wrong." Ms. Watts suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at ET, "He didn't do anything wrong." She hadn't noticed me yet, being too distracted with ET, so I quickly snuck out again and called the CO, before I went back in despite the CO's orders for me to stay put. "Ms. Watts, calm down. No one said your dad did anything wrong," I spoke up. At the sound of my voice she took a few steps back, pulling ET with her. The CO came up behind me. "Clair, put the gun down," he said calmly pushing me back out, "Put the gun down, please." I could still hear the CO trying to calm the woman down. I wanted to go back in, but I didn't dare.

To my relief ET came out just a minute later. "You're alright," I breathed out. "Yea," ET replied distant. I was just glad he was okay.

"Red, a word," the CO said when he came out as well and I averted my eyes. "Yes, Sir." "I told you to stay put, didn't I?" the CO asked me, already knowing the answer. "Yes," I nodded, "And I'm sorry, Sir, but I just couldn't stand by and do nothing while ET was in danger." "You disobeyed a direct order, Seaman Taylor," the CO stated, "You're lucky that this is the first time you ever did anything remotely disobedient. I won't punish you. But if you ever do anything like this again, be sure that there will be consequences." "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," I quickly said. The CO dismissed me.

These had been an eventful few days. I don't think I would ever get bored being in the Navy. Something nerve-racking, exciting, challenging or whatever always happened. I didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing just yet. For now I was glad that everything turned out allright.


	8. Through The Storm

„I just got a one-hour notice," I stated. "What?" Noah looked at me disbelievingly, "There a storm raging out there." "Yea… That's probably why," I sighed. I quickly went to my room packed a bag.

"Can't help it, if we're needed, right?" I said. "You didn't need to join the Navy, you know?" Noah replied. "I'm not saying that I regret it," I retorted a little annoyed, "I love the Navy. I made the right choice joining. Even though it's inconvenient sometimes." "Just saying, I would have liked it better if you had just gotten a regular job in town." "Aw, do you miss me that much when I'm away at sea?" I cooed. "That's not what I meant. I just… worry." I smiled at Noah. "I can take care of myself, so relax," I said, "But I better get going now. See you soon, miss you, have fun without me." I gave Noah a quick hug before I left for Hammersley.

After we had left port Swain informed me that we were called to search for two lost boys. I went looking for the CO to ask for an estimate as to when we were going to be back. I found him in the ward with the XO. But before I spoke up I noticed the tape they were watching. Well I pretty much only noticed Spider dressed as the XO doing what resembled something like a lap dance on Chefo. It was terrifying and hilarious at the same time. But considering the XO's presence, I didn't laugh. "Sir," I spoke up instead. "Red, get me Spider!" the XO ordered me, "Now!" I didn't dare to say anything more than "Right away, ma'am."

Oh, Spider was in so much trouble now. I found him on the deck. "Spider, you are needed in the ward by the X and CO," I told him, "And if I were you, I'd hurry and get there as fast as you can." "Why?" Spider looked at me, obviously puzzled. "Just hurry," was all I said. At first I thought about following him, but I decided that I really didn't want to be there, when the XO caught sight of him. X didn't seem like a very forgiving kind of person and considering that Spider had humiliated her in front of almost the whole crew… Yea, I definitely didn't want to be in Spider's shoes right now.

Later when I was on my way to my cabin, I saw a rather large group of guys gathered around something. When they noticed me, most of them scrambled away, only the few that didn't notice me stayed behind. "Yea, I think you missed a spot there, Spide," I heard ET say. Spider was cleaning a toilet with a toothbrush. So that was his punishment. Or at least a part of it. "If that toothbrush leaves a streak you better finish using a cotton ball, Spider," Buffer added. "You'll probably find one of those in the X's handbag," ET said. "Guys," I tried to interrupt. "Or in your own handbag," Buffer continued on. "Give it a rest, alright," Spider snapped, obviously uncomfortable and exhausted, "Why did you have to use that tape anyway? You know the XO's got no sense of humor." "Less chat, aye." I jumped in surprise when the X suddenly spoke up. I hadn't even noticed her walk up beside me. "I want the gun bay hocked out and restocked this forenoon," the XO said and turned to leave, "And… a muster of all the gear in both boats for currency and serviceability. Thank you." "It's all on Spider's list, X," Buffer said. "Excuse me, ma'am," Spider spoke up, "Are we square then?" "Not even close," was all the X said before she left. The other guys then left as well, laughing.

I felt sorry for Spider. Of course what he did was pretty disrespectful and humiliating, I could understand the XO, but I couldn't help but feel for Spider. He was suffering humiliation right now too and it was even worse because the guys were making fun of him to his face.

"Spider," I started. "What do you want?" he snapped at me. "Hey, I just wanted to offer you some help," I told him. Spider sighed, "Sorry, Red. I'd really appreciate it." "Don't worry. I'll take care of the boats, I need to check the gear anyways," I said. "Thank you, Red, really." "Let's just say you owe me, alright?" I smiled comfortingly at Spider.

I left him to finish the toilet and started on the rhibs then. Better get it done quickly. And without the XO noticing. She was still pretty pissed at Spider. If she knew I was helping him… I guess that anger would come onto me as well. But I just couldn't let Spider be treated that way. He was still a child, in mind at least. We were about the same age, but Spider was just like a little kid sometimes. He was so naïve. He was always going to do some stupid things. That was just who he was. And I didn't think that made him a bad person, just a gullible child.

When I finally finished with the muster of all the gear, I went to the gun bay and handed it to Spider. "Here," I said, "And Spider, please try not to let the guys talk you into doing something stupid again, alright?" "I won't," Spider replied, "But Red, thank you. Really. I don't think the XO will ever let me off the hook." "Just show her that you're sorry," I told him, "You'll be fine." I left Spider to finish his work and started on my other duties.

We reached our destination, a small town named Redcliff, the next morning. We used the dingy to go ashore. Some residents and a military guy were already waiting for us. By the looks of it Nav knew that military guy, Craig Bolt. When I noticed ET's reaction to that, I had to smile. He so liked Nav too.

I followed the CO and X. A woman came running towards us. "Thank god you're here," she said, "My boy Connor, he's one of the two missing, gone since yesterday." "We know about the boys, ma'am," the CO said. "The dingy's gone. We think they might have gone to the island to go fishing or something, but it's… it's miles out." It was obvious how worried she was about her son. "Okay, ma'am," the CO said. "No, it's not okay," she interrupted him, "Connor's a diabetic, he could die without his medication." "Ma'am, we'll do everything we can to find Connor as fast as we can," I tried to reassure her. There was not much else I could do. Mrs. Bullen was a worried mother, nothing could make her rest before she had her son back in her arms.

I was to stay in the village to help with the repairs, while the CO, Nav and ET formed a search party to look for the missing boys.

"Buffer, we need to organize a repair party, you can start with Spider," the X said, "Red, you can help as well." "Alright, ma'am," Buffer and I replied. "I'll leave you guys to clean up," Craig Bolt muttered, before he left. He may have been one of Nav's friends, but to me he seemed quite conceited. I didn't really like him. "Red, you coming?" I heard Buffer call. I quickly ran to catch up with him.

Buffer started to repair the roof of the local school while I helped Mrs. Bullen and the children clean up inside, starting with the desks. Spider joined a little later, followed by a pretty energetic blonde boy. "Come on everyone, let's pick up the pictures, aye," Mrs. Bullen then said and so we did. "They're still wet," the boy who had followed Spider, Oscar, exclaimed. "That's okay, they'll dry on the wall," Mrs. Bullen tried to be optimistic even though she must have been worried sick about her son, "Like hanging out the washing:"

"I reckon Tim's okay," the boy suddenly said. "Connor too, yea," Mrs. Bullen added shakily. "Don't worry, we'll find your son," I reassured Mrs. Bullen, while Spider distracted the boy, "Connor will be alright." Mrs. Bullen just nodded and turned away to hide her tears. I felt so sorry for her. She had no idea where her son was, if he was alive or whether she would ever see him again or not.

Then the XO walked in. "Seaman Webb," she spoke up, "I've found another job for you." "Yes, ma'am." I didn't really want to know what she had planned for him now. It couldn't be anything good. I continued helping Mrs. Bullen and Buffer. The school had taken quite a lot of damage.

"Mrs. Bullen," the XO came in again after some time and spoke up, "I just received a message from our CO. They found your son. He's alright. They'll be here any minute now." "Really?" You could see the relief in Mrs. Bullen's face after hearing the news.

Just a few minutes later the CO, Nav and ET appeared, with a boy. "Connor!" Mrs. Bullen exclaimed and ran towards him, embracing him. I couldn't help but smile at the scene, a mother reunited with her lost son.

But then Spider came running with Oscar and another boy. "Sir, X," he yelled. The other boy was Tim, the second boy that had gone missing. "Well done, Spider," the CO praised him, "How did you manage this?" "Oh well, this guy pretty much tipped me off, aye?" Spider replied, ruffling through Oscar's hair. "Spider, why didn't you tell us what you knew before racing off like that?" the X questioned him and I frowned. Did she really have to go down on him like that right now? He had found the missing boy after all. "Uh, well, um, it happened really fast, ma'am," Spider answered, his smile fading again, "But there's something I think you should see. Now."

Spider seemed pretty serious. He led the CO, the X, and me, since I wanted to come as well, to a small shack on the beach. "They build this when they didn't want to come home after Connor was lost," Spider told us. "So they'd come home when they'd heard he was back," the X concluded. "Well, I don't think coming back was an option, ma'am," Spider said, "See, they put this here for a reason. They were, um, trying to protect their new toy." Spider lifted some leaves and a tarp. But what he revealed made me gasp. "That's…" "Ugh, great," the CO exclaimed.

I kept my fair distance from the sea mine while the XO called the crew over. It didn't take long before everyone had gathered, even some of the townsfolk had come to see what was going on. I helped Spider get them back over the hill, away from the sea mine. When I saw Craig Bolt approaching, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The way he walked, just everything about him screamed 'prick' at me.

"Red, get over here," the CO called me after talking to Bolt for a few moments. I walked up to them. "Why don't you watch Captain Bolt here, while he tries to disable the sea mine?" he suggested, "It would be a great experience for you." I wanted to decline, but the CO right. Seeing a WWII sea mine from up close might actually be quite enlightening. So I followed Bolt to the sea mine.

"See that over there," Bolt pointed at something, "The access is rusted tight. Do you know what that means?" I thought for a second. "It means… we can't disable it. The sea mine needs to be blown up," I responded. "Hey, not bad for a little Navy girl," Bolt applauded and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

I had to help Bolt set up the sea mine for detonation until Buffer came to tell me to get out of the parameter. And boy was I glad to hear that. I really wanted to get away from Bolt. He was such a tool. The way he talked, his gestures, just everything about him repelled me. How could Nav have ever liked someone like him?

I got out of there with everyone else to wait for the detonation. I stayed there patiently, until Spider suddenly ran past me. I called after him, but he just ran on in the direction of the sea mine. And just a few moments later I heard the explosion. Did Spider…? I ran to the beach as fast as my legs could carry me. The XO was already leaning over Spider when I got there. "Spider!" I yelled out. Swain gently pushed me aside so he could take a look at Spider. All I could do was stand there and watch, hoping he was alright. The boy, Oscar seemed fine, but Spider was bleeding.

"What the bloody hell did you think you were doing? You could have died there!" Bolt yelled. I wanted to beat him so badly that moment, that I almost did, but the CO pulled him aside before I had the chance. Spider was injured here and Bolt still had the nerve to yell at him. What was wrong with that guy?

"Ma'am, does this make us square now?" I had to laugh a little at Spider's question. "Not quite Spider," the XO replied and I looked at her disbelievingly, "Not quite."

Our job in Redcliff was done and we went back to the Hammersley. I was glad that Spider's injuries were nothing serious, just superficial.

Being in the Navy could sometimes be really dangerous. I realized that. But I still thought that I had made the right decision by joining. Because of that I got to meet all these amazing people that I can now call my friends.


	9. Under The Hammer

When the CO called the whole crew on deck in the morning, I wondered what had happened. Assemblies weren't really that common unless something had happened. "As you know, earlier this morning, persons unknown boarded this boat and removed our mascot, the mighty Thor," the CO announced. "It's gotta be the Kingston, boss," Chefo reckoned. "The Kingston left port at first light," the CO replied, "Their Commanding Officer-" The CO was interrupted by the crew insulting the guy. "Lieutenant Richard Curran, who I have spoken to by sat phone, denies any knowledge of the events," the CO continued with a warning undertone, "The fact remains: Hammersley was boarded, which is unacceptable under any circumstances" The CO was looking at Spider when he said. It seemed like Spider was a magnet for bad luck.

"We're going after them, right boss?" Chefo asked, "I mean, we gotta get the Hammer God back." "We'll be casting of as scheduled," the CO replied, "Make ready." Getting Thor back was the crew's main concern right now. Apparently, losing your mascot was bad luck. Well, technically we didn't lose it. It was stolen. But still. I wasn't superstitious, so I didn't really believe that. Losing Thor was bad for the ship's morale though.

Even though the CO said we weren't going after the Kingston, we crossed paths with them quite quickly. And they proved the assumptions that they had stolen Thor by waving him around. "They put hot pants on him…" I noticed. "They'll pay," Chefo seethed, "Oh they'll pay big time." I didn't even want to imagine what was going on in his head right now. Especially when we didn't pull alongside them, but changed course instead. Chefo was the angriest about Thor being stolen as it seemed. I got why he was mad, but I just couldn't feel the same way. Maybe I just hadn't been on the Hammersley long enough, but Thor was a mascot. Him being missing didn't threaten anything on board to go wrong. Or at least so I thought.

There was only so much Thor-madness I could take so I went back under deck to resume my usual duties. That was until Buffer called me to the boarding party. Apparently we had caught up with the Pacific Mariner, the ship that Carl Davies, the second and still alive fisherman friend of Spider's and a suspect in the murder of Sam Murray, was supposed to be on. We suited up and then the X came to take over the lead.

Richard Gallagher was his same charming self as he was when we boarded his ship the first time several weeks ago. And he was still flirting with the X. But Carl Davies wasn't part of the crew on deck. "Excuse me, X, there's someone else on the bridge," ET suddenly spoke up. "Okay, let's go!" she ordered. I quickly followed Buffer to the bridge. "Locked door," he said when he couldn't get below. "What's behind that door?" the X asked Gallagher. "My private quarters," he answered, standing in front of the door. The XO ordered Buffer to open the door by force, but Gallagher caved in and called someone. The person who came up was familiar. It was Dr. Ursula Morrell, the marine biologist. Apparently she was a passenger. And Carl Davies wasn't on board anymore, according to Gallagher. But we started to search the ship despite his claims.

There was nothing under deck. But Spider spotted something on deck. One of the containers had air vents. We were about to open it, when ET suddenly yelled, "X! Fire!" There was smoke on Hammersley, quite a lot of smoke. "Let's go!" the XO screamed and we all hurried to the rhib to get back to Hammersley as soon as possible, completely ignoring the container for now. But when we got to Hammersley, the fire had already been dealt with. And the CO was mad at the XO for coming back without Dr. Morrell. I couldn't believe him. The ship was on fire. Were we just supposed to wait on the Pacific Mariner and do nothing? He would have done the same if the positions were switched, I was pretty sure of that. Usually the CO was a pretty nice guy, but this Ursula Morrell had him twisted. Even though I believed the CO secretly had feelings for the XO. And as it seemed, the X returned those feelings.

Dealing with relationships and feelings while being in the Navy seemed pretty complicated. Just this once I was glad that I didn't have a boyfriend anymore. It was probably a good thing that Zack had broken up with me when I told him that I wanted to join the Navy. Of course I had been heartbroken at the time, but now… Now I was glad that we had broken up sooner rather than later.

I went down to the generator room where the fire had raged to help with the clean-up. Until Charge called us all on deck. "All right you scurvy lot, settle down," Charge said, "It's time to remove the cloud of misery and malignance hanging over this ship. In other words, time to give the bad luck the sword, or the club. How… Well may you ask young Spider, well may you ask. We need to appease the God of the Seven Seas himself," Charge raised the golf club above his head momentously, "And who better to sweet talk him than his trouble and strife." The Taifun turned around to reveal Buffer dressed in… I didn't know how to describe it. He was wearing a wig of long curly hair and some blue cloth. The others started wolf-whistling while I contemplated whether I really wanted to stay or not. "So where is the offering?" Buffer asked. "Offering?" "Neptune demands an offering!" Buffer yelled. "Fair enough," Charge said, "Seaman Webb." "Charge?" "Are you prepared to appease the God of the Seven Seas with sacrifice?" Spider hesitated, "I guess so, Charge." "Grab that tray of Chefo," Charge ordered.

At first I thought they were going to throw Spider overboard with whatever that on the tray was, but they didn't. And then Buffer declared Hammersley free of any misfortune. What a show for nothing. There was no more bad luck than usual on board, but if this helped the guys get over their superstitious fear, why not?

The group dispersed quite quickly. I was about to go back under deck as well when someone put a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and faced ET. "Do you have a sec?" he asked me. "Sure, what is it?" I replied. ET seemed rather serious. He hesitated for a moment before he started talking again, "Could you… give me some advice? You're a woman right?" Usually I would be a little offended at his last sentence, but ET seemed kind of distressed and desperate. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I did something stupid. Well, technically it wasn't me… But there is this woman…" "Nav," I said. "How…?" ET looked at me surprised. "I just know. Don't worry, I won't tell. So what happened?" I urged him to continue. "She's mad at me because she overhead Chefo saying that I said I wanted to get in her pants," ET told me, "But it's different now. I never wanted to hurt her." "Then tell her," I said, "It's probably the only thing you can do right now. Tell her how you feel, explain what happened." "I can't do that." "Do you want her to forgive you?" I asked and ET nodded, "Then go talk to her. You'll figure it out when you do." "You think?" ET hesitated and I nodded. ET took a deep breath. "Thanks," he said. I smiled and watched as he left. The Navy way have its non-fraternization rule, but you can't help who you fall for. And ET and Nav had obviously fallen for each other. They'd make a cute couple. Not like the CO and X.

But I shouldn't be thinking about that. I still had some work to do.

When I got back home to Noah's and my apartment, Noah was nowhere to be found. But there was a note on the kitchen table saying he was out with Jenna, his girlfriend. Just when I finished changing into some more comfortable clothes, the phone rang. "Yello?" I answered. "Hey, Rubes," I heard the familiar voice of my brother and my face immediately lit up. "Josh!" I exclaimed gleefully. "I'm happy to hear you voice too," he said, "But I actually wanted to ask you when you'll be in Cairns again." "I'm here now," I joked, "But I'm not staying long and I can't say when I'll be back again yet. Why?" "I wanted to come and visit… with Rhihannon," Josh answered. "Rhihannon? Is she your girlfriend now? Oh my Thor! That's amazing," I yelled grinning. "Yea…" I could practically see Josh blush right now, "Wait. Oh my Thor? What's up with that?" "He's our mascot, doesn't matter. Tell me about Rhihannon!" I demanded.

I wanted to know everything. Josh had always been the shy one. So having a girlfriend was a rare occasion with him. He's only had two relationships before this. I was so happy for him. He sounded really happy. And Josh deserved to be happy. He was the sweetest brother anyone could wish for. Noah as well of course.


	10. Damage Control

It felt like I had only been home for a few seconds before I was back out at sea again. We stopped for a short time when Nav spotted a boat that had smoke coming from it. A man, Gavin Daley, was taking his two kids on a trip and they seemed to have some engine trouble. ET and Swain were sent over to help. I was still thinking about Josh and Rhihannon. I hoped we would get back to port soon. I really wanted to meet Rhihannon. Josh seemed so fond of her. I wanted to know who the girl was, that could make my brother so happy.

"Hey Red, are you gonna join us for a swim?" I jumped when I suddenly heard ET's voice. I hadn't even noticed him coming. He was already in his trunks, ready to go for a dip. "Sure," I replied, "Why not?" "Hurry up then." ET left and I went to my cabin to change into a swimsuit. A bikini might not be the best idea considering it could easily come off and there were a lot of guys out there. I'd rather wear a nice one piece. I quickly changed and went back on deck. Most of the guys were already in the water. Chefo was just jumping in, followed by ET and then Buffer. "Come on, Red!" ET called. I climbed up on the railing, getting a few playful wolf-whistles while doing so, and dove in, taking a header, quite gracefully if I may say so.

I just loved the ocean. It was a lot of fun taking a dip with the guys. If there was something like reincarnation, I wanted to be reborn as a creature of the sea.

"Red! Don't swim too far away!" I heard someone shout. I hadn't even realized that I had swum away, but there was a good distance between me and the others. I turned around and slowly swam back. I never wanted to get out of the water again. But I started getting cold at one point so I did leave in the end. I wrapped myself in a nice warm towel. "You swam away quite far back there," Spider, who handed me a cup of coffee, noticed, "Aren't you afraid of sharks?" "Sharks? No, why would I be?" I replied, "Don't you know that more people die from being hit by a coconut than from shark attacks?" "Really?" Spider asked surprised. "Yea," I smiled, "A lot of people don't know that sharks are actually quite peaceful predators." "Peaceful?" Spider raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Yea, they are," I said, "They only attack humans when they feel threatened or they mistake them for seals. Besides, you're more likely to win the lottery rather than get attacked by a shark." I tried to convince Spider that sharks weren't as malicious as they were often portrayed, but it didn't look like he would change his mind about them.

Until suddenly we were called to suit up and be ready. I hurriedly went to change and get ready for a boarding party call. Apparently the guy we met earlier had not only taken his kids out for trip, but kidnapped them. We were going to tail him now. That was until Gavin Daley suddenly pulled in to the mainland. I was preparing for a shore party with the others when the CO said he would lead this one and only take Swain and ET because they had already had contact with the man. I was a little surprised but I didn't have a problem with it. I felt a little exhausted.

The CO, ET and Swain left and I wanted to go back on deck to sit down and relax, breathe in the nice sea air. I was almost there when I suddenly felt all wobbly and my legs gave out under me. "Red!" Spider appeared in my field of vision and knelt down in front of me. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked me frantically. "Yea, I'm fine," I waved him off, "I just felt a little wobbly there." "That doesn't sound comforting," Chefo's voice suddenly came from behind me. "I'm fine, really," I repeated and tried to get up. But I would have fallen down again if it wasn't for Spider, who steadied me. "Alright, let's go to the ward," Chefo said. I wanted to protest, but I didn't have the strength. So I just sighed and let myself be helped to the wardroom. "So, how do you really feel?" Chefo asked. "Fine," I replied, "Just a little dizzy and exhausted." "Have you been drinking enough water?" "Yea, I think so," I answered. "What about sleep? Have you been getting enough?" Chefo continued his questionnaire. "Um, I've been having some trouble sleeping, but it's not that bad." "Ah-hum." Chefo measured my blood pressure and then looked at me. "Your blood pressure is a little low," he said. "That means?" I asked. "You need to rest and drink a lot," Chefo answered. "But she'll be alright?" I had almost forgotten Spider was here as well. "Yea, it's not serious," Chefo replied, "But actually, Spider, you could watch over Red, make sure she rests and drinks a lot." "I don't need a babysitter," I protested. "Then just think of it as a friend keeping you company," Chefo retorted, "I'll talk to Swain when he gets back. For now, just go back to your cabin and rest."

I sighed. I guess there wasn't much room to argue here. So I left the ward with Spider. On the way to my cabin we stopped by the galley to get me some more water. "Are you feeling okay?" Spider asked me worriedly. "I'm feeling alright," I reassured him smiling at his concern, "And with the rest ordered by Dr. Chefo I'll be fine in no time." "Good."

It was a little awkward having Spider sit there when I was lying in my bunk to get some rest. At first I tried to sleep, but my eyes just wouldn't stay shut. "Tell me a story," I demanded of Spider. "What?" he asked surprised. "I can't fall asleep. So tell me a story," I said. "Um…" Spider looked at me strangely, "What do you want to hear?" Spider asked. „I don't know, tell me about your childhood, your favorite food. Your first girlfriend. I don't care." Spider thought for some moments. But then he started telling me about his high school years, his friends and teachers. It was nice listening to Spider talk. I felt my eyelids start to drop.

Suddenly my cabin door opened. "Oh, I'm sorry," Swain apologized, "Were you telling her a bedtime story?" "No," Spider vigorously shook his head. "Okay, well Chefo told me you weren't feeling good, Red," Swain addressed me. "Yea, I was a little dizzy," I replied, "And Chefo said I had low blood pressure." "I heard. I also heard you almost collapsed because you haven't gotten enough sleep lately," Swain said and I nodded, "These are mild sedatives. If you have trouble falling asleep, take one. You need to make sure that you always get a good night's rest for now." "Okay." I took the sleeping pills from Swain. "See you tomorrow morning." Swain smiled at me before he left again. "Should I leave too?" Spider asked. "No, continue talking," I demanded. Spider laughed and continued with the story how he and his friends had played a prank on their history teacher.

I opened up my eyes again and found myself alone in my cabin. I stretched happily. I felt like I had slept for a whole week.. After I left my cabin I couldn't find anyone below decks. Really no one. So I went up on the decks. There was quite a commotion going on there. "What's going on?" I asked. "Mr. Daley jumped overboard. We're just getting him back on," Nav answered me. She filled me in on everything that had happened while I had been asleep. They had found Carl Davies on Tiwi Island while they had been searching for Mr. Daley and his kids. Mr. Daley had kidnapped his kids because his ex-wife was going to move to the United States with her new husband and the kids. He was afraid of losing them. But Carl Davies was badly injured, so we needed to get back to port as soon as possible. Which was where we set course for once both Mr. Daley and ET were back onboard Hammersley.

"Red, come here for a second," Swain called. I quickly went over to him. "How are you feeling now?" he asked me. "Great," I replied truthfully, "I feel like I slept for a days." "That's good to hear," Swain smiled, "But go get yourself checked up in the hospital when we get back to port, alright?" "Okay." "Then get some more rest now, just to make sure." I nodded. I was rested up enough but I didn't want to start an argument. So I just walked back to my cabin, but I was stopped on my way there. "Red, you got a minute for me?" "ET. Sure." ET pulled me into the empty galley. "What did you do to make her mad this time?" I asked him straightforward. "I didn't do anything!" ET defended himself, "Well at least not on purpose." "Then what did you do unintentionally?" I rephrased my question. "You know, I talked to Nav like you said I should and we were good. I made a vow of chastity to her for the next six months." "You did what?" I interrupted surprised. "She means a lot to me," ET said and I nodded, that much was obvious now, "But… something came up." "Oh, ET…." "No! Not something like that. Well, kinda… My ex-girlfriend, she found me in a bar and… well, she told me she is pregnant… with my child," ET explained. I blinked at him. Was he serious? He seemed to be. "That's big… No, that's huge!" I exclaimed, "Congratulations. But I don't know if I can help you there." ET sighed, "Yea, I guess it's not that easy to handle:" "Maybe the best thing to do is just talk? Explain how you feel about all of this? I don't know," I said, "Maybe Nav will understand you better then." "Talking's better than doing nothing, right?" I nodded.

ET took off and I continued on my mission: Get more rest until we reach port and then go visit the hospital.

The doctor checked my vitals. "Well, everything seems to be alright now. Your vitals are fine," the doctor said, "Just make sure you always get enough rest and drink enough so we won't see each other again, alright?" I nodded laughing, "Will do." But I wasn't going to tell my brother's about this, they didn't need to worry about me more than they already did.


	11. Chinese Whispers

„Red, how are you? Have you been getting enough sleep?" a cheerful Swain asked me . "I'm doing good, getting lots of sleep," I replied, "But what's got you so chipper?" "Look at this," Swain thrust something into my hand, "It's my baby. I'm going to be a father soon." I looked at the ultrasound Swain had given me. You could already see the features of a little baby unlike the last picture he had shown me. "Aw, that's cute. I'm so happy for you." "Thanks." Swain was grinning like he would never stop. I handed him the ultrasound back and listened to him talk about his baby. He was as happy as a little kid on Christmas. But I guess that was understandable, considering he was becoming a father soon.

But seeing Swain that happy made me feel really lonely for the first time since Zack and I had broken up. I knew, having a relationship and being in the Navy were hard to combine, but Swain and Sally made it work.

"Hey Red, how's it going?" ET asked me on his way to the bridge. "Fine," I answered. Having a relationship with someone who is in the Navy as well can't be easy either. If we were on the same ship we would have to be worried about the non-fraternization rule. And if we were stationed on different ships, we probably wouldn't see each other often. So no matter how you look at it, the Navy was a love life killer.

I sighed. I should just stop thinking about stuff like that. It wasn't like anything would change anytime soon.

"Good morning," I greeted the CO, Nav and Spider on the bridge when I got there. "Morning. Did you sleep well?" Spider asked me. "Like a baby," I replied even though it wasn't completely true. I had had some trouble falling asleep. But Spider believed me and smiled, resuming his duty.

We were heading for Bright Island as Nav spotted two contacts on the radar, seemingly a fishing boat meeting with its mothership. The CO decided we would take a look. As we neared, I went up on deck with binoculars. There wasn't any fishing to be seen done on the ship, but there was a zodiac attached to it. The CO gave orders to check it out to see what was going on there. "Red, you stay here," the CO said just as I was about to follow the X to boarding station. "Yes, Sir;" I stopped and resumed watching the ship through my binoculars. The zodiac was leaving with two men on it, as the boarding party got ready to take off. I kept watching the other ship. There were two people on board. "Um, Sir," I spoke up, "The people on board that ship… aren't they." "Federal Agents. What the hell are they doing there?" the CO cursed. Uh oh, this wasn't good. The boarding party was already heading towards them. The CO tried to radio them, but the transmission seemed to be disturbed. Yep, this wasn't good. Those Feds were going to be mad. This was obviously some undercover operation we had just ruined for them.

We got a distress call from a cargo vessel that was taking on water after the Feds had left again. The CO didn't seem to be in a very good mood anymore, understandable since Feds had probably given him a lot of grief.

I was assigned to be part of the boarding party alongside the XO, Buffer, Spider and a not very pleased Charge. The cargo ship, Pacific Investigator, didn't seem to be in good shape at all. The captain of the ship seemed friendly enough. As the X requested, the first mate took Charge below deck to check out what was wrong. "Buffer, Spider, Red, go with him," the X said to us. "Yes Ma'am," we replied and followed the first mate and Charge below deck. To say this ship wasn't in good shape was an understatement. There was water coming in from everywhere.

"I recommend abandoning ship," Charge told the XO once we were back outside. "I don't see how I can do that," the captain said. "Sir, in 24 hours she'll be sinking and there's nothing we can do about to save her," Charge explained to the captain. But he was worried about salvage rights and wanted to stay until she had really sunk. The XO radioed the situation to the CO and he talked the captain into abandoning ship. So we transported the five crewmembers to Hammersley in groups. I was sent back to Hammersley with the first group.

To greet our guests properly the CO ordered Chefo to prepare a nice barbecue. I volunteered to help him.

It turned into a fun evening outside on the deck with the crew and our guests. One of them actually started flirting with me. It was kind of nice, but I shut him down pretty quickly, he didn't appeal to me.

"Hey, did you hear that everyone?" Swain suddenly exclaimed, "Jake here reckons I'm having a boy, a little Swain." He was so happy, Swain was grinning from ear to ear. I smiled at his happiness as the gathering turned into a celebration.

I went to my cabin as things started calming down, but no matter how I tried, I couldn't fall asleep, so I got up again and went out on deck to get some fresh air. A loud noise made me jump. It had sounded a lot like a gunshot. I ran into the direction the sound had come from to find the CO leaning over a wounded Harry while one of the rhibs was being taken away by three of the men from the cargo ship, along with Swain at gunpoint. "Red, go get help!" the CO yelled at me. I ran inside and called the first guys that I saw over. I followed as they brought Harry to the wardroom.

My brain wasn't able to comprehend this situation. Just what was going? Why would they shoot someone? Why would those guys take Swain as a hostage? They seemed thankful enough that we helped them, just why? I was scared, I was worried. What if they hurt Swain? Or if they killed him. They couldn't. They couldn't do that. Swain had a wife, and soon a child to take care of. If something happened to him… I didn't even want to think about it.

I helped Chefo as good as I could with Harry. We couldn't really pursue the men who had taken Swain because they had threatened to kill him, so there was pretty much nothing I could do. And that was the worst feeling, I felt useless. I needed to do something.

The sun had already risen when we moved in on the abandoned cargo ship, after the men had gotten what they were looking for. As the CO concluded, Swain was probably left behind on the Pacific Investigator by them. I couldn't stand still. I paced up and down the railing as we came closer. "Sir, I'd like to be part of the boarding party," I requested. "Are you sure?" the CO asked. "Yes, Sir," I stated firmly. I needed to be on that boarding party. I couldn't just stay here and wait. The CO mustered me for a few seconds as I stood straight. "Alright, get ready." "Aye, Sir." I saluted and left quickly. I got ready for the boarding party.

We were silent and careful as we boarded the Pacific Investigator, not knowing whether there was anyone else on board or not. I followed Buffer and the X below deck. Buffer noticed a shut door, that had been open before and tried to open it. I rushed to help him. As soon as the door was open, I dove in. If Swain was in there, we had to get him out, the room was almost completely flooded. And Swain was indeed in there, tied to a pole. I tried to get the rope off, but it took Buffer's help to get him free. I had no idea how long Swain had been underwater without air. I feared for his life as we brought him to the surface. But he was breathing and conscious, as the X pulled him up further out of the water. A wave of relief washed over me. I felt crying out of joy. Swain was alive. He was alive. We quickly got him out of there and back onto the Hammersley before the ship could sink and take us with it.

Back on Hammersley Swain reported what had been so important on the Pacific Investigator, diamonds. I was posted up on deck as lookout since it seemed that Swain, even in a hostage situation, managed to sabotage the rhib, so that those smugglers or whatever they were couldn't get far. Swain came up on deck as well to join the lookout. I couldn't help but smile. He was alright. He was fine. And he was the first to spot something. Two men in the water. The captain had dropped them as well. And the rhib wasn't far either. I felt like beating the life out of the guys that had almost killed Swain, but I was just too happy to have him back.

"I'm so glad you're okay," I finally said to Swain as I hugged him as tight as I possibly could. "You and me both," Swain laughed as he patted my head. I let go again and looked up at him. I was so relieved to see that he was really alright. And then my vision suddenly went black.

"…king up! Swain!" My eyelids fluttered as I tried to open my eyes. "Red?" A blurry figure appeared in my view, but the voice told me it was Swain. I groaned. I had a splitting headache. "What happened?" I croaked. "You collapsed," Swain told me as he helped me sit up, "How are you feeling?" "My head hurts," I answered, squeezing my eyes shut again. "I got some water." It was ET who came back into the ward with a glass of water in his hand. He gave it to me and I downed the whole thing to wet my dry throat. "You fell pretty hard. You might have a concussion," Swain said. He did some tests with me. "Well, looks like it's only a slight concussion. I'm gonna give you something for the headache and then you're going to rest until we get back to port, alright?" Swain said to me and I nodded, "And make sure you get some more sleep." "Sorry."

I could see the concern in both Swain's and ET's eyes and I felt guilty. "You know what," Swain suddenly said, "From now on you're going to keep a sleep journal. So we can figure out why you're not sleeping enough, alright?" He explained the concept of a sleep journal to me before sending me back to my cabin to rest. I wasn't sure whether it would really help. But it was worth a try.


End file.
